Newspaper receptacle



M 21, 1931. H. STEEN 1,815,219

NEWSPAPER RECEPTACLE Fiiled Aug. 14. 1929 .23 zl r e e l I 7 INVENTOR flenr Ghee/2 .Wmdg

ATTORNEY Patented July 21, 1931 UNIT STATES PATENT OFFICE NEWSPAPER RECEPTACLE Application filed August 14, 1929. Serial No. 385,887.

This invention relates to improvements in devices designed to take deliveries of newspapers or the like. and in particular on rural routes where such. articles, delivered under usual conditions, are subjected to the injurious eli'ects of the weather.

its objects. generally stated, are, to pro vide a suitable container having an automatic closure therefor, said container being tiltably connected with supporting means and so balanced that when empty it will stay in a horizontal and open position, and when the article to be delivered placed in the, containcr. the weight of said article causes it to I assume a vertical and closed position, thereby rendering the container weather-proni; to allord a device, which, by virtue of the positions it is adapted to assume, will serve a signal to indicate whether or not a delivery has been made to it; and, to make available a device of this character which is simple in construction, notwithstanding its automatic features.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities will appear as the description of the invention progresses.

in the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of the device complete and in open position, a post on whi h it is mounted being broken away.

Fig, 2 is a side elevation of the same in closed position, the container being broken a way to indicate the water-tight construction oi one end thereof and also to show a news paper deposited in the container.

i a cross section drawn along the line 38, of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes a container designed to have a diameter sutliciently large to receive a newspaper of any size when it is folded in the usual manner for delivery, and to be of a length somewhat longer than the folded newspaper. In the present embodiment of the l in vention this container is shown as cylindrical, but obviously it may be rectangular or in any other suitable form. The closed end 2 of the container has a smooth upper surface and is joined to the body of the container. as at 3, to permit it to shed water. The other end of the container is provided with a rim, generally designated as 4, which is formed by turning the tree end of said bocy over an annular section of wire 5. A closure 6 tor the container, in form complementary to the open end of the container and having an apertured arm 7, is hingedly connected with said wire. This hinged connection may be established by forming cars integral with the body of the closure and bending them around exposed sections of said wire in the rim, as indicated at 8.

A bracket, generally designated as 10, is fixedly secured to the container, and extends longitudinally thereof slightly more toward the forward or receiving end of the container rather than the closed end, to preserve a balance for the container and other parts of the levice which will presently be described with more particularity. The bracket is preferably bent from a piece of sheet metallic stock, and is provided with a seat 11 for the container, through which the bracket may be secured to the container by the rivets 12, and a pair of depending portions 13 disposed in spaced parallel relation, each having an opening 14 oppositely disposed.

Said portions are adapted to straddle one end of a support, the support having a flat body portion and a pair of spaced and parallel side portions 21. The support is also provided at said end with an integral depending and aperturcd car 22 located adjacent to and parallel 'ith one of the side. portions 21, and a pin 23, as shown, secured in the portions 21 and extending through the openings 14 in said bracket, said pin afi'ording a pivotal connection for the bracket with the support. 24 denotes a link pivotally conneeted with the arm 7 oi the closure and also ivotall v connected with the ear Said )port is designed to surmount and be secured to a post which will serve to elevate the device to a height that will be convenient fo the use in which the device is employed.

Having in view the respective Weights of the container, the closure and the parts con necting the closure with said support, the bracket preferably is disposed relative to the container and mounted on the support about as indicated in Fi 1, to the end that the container will, when empty, maintain a horizontal position with the closure opened, as shown.

In making a delivery to the device, as for instance, the newspaper heretofore referred to, the same is inserted within the container so that it is entirely within the open end thereof. The weight of the newspaper will cause the container to tilt forwardly, and as said movement of the container progresses, the link 24 operating on the arm 7 serves to bring the closure up toward the open end of the container, and when the container has dropped to the vertical position shown in Fig. 2 the container is completely closed, the newspaper 31 then occupying the position as shown. The container as now located will protect the news 'iaper from the weather and inform the recipient that the newspaper has been delivered. In taking the newspaper from the container, said container returned to a horizontal position by hand, when the link, operating in a reverse manner on said arm, will cause the closure to assume the open position indicated in Fig. 1, and on removal of said newspaper the device is again in receiving position.

lVhile it is practical and ordinarily desirable to use the weight of the delivered article in closing the container and making; the same serve as a signal, the device can he conveniently operated when a delivery made by throwing the container into a vertical position manually after the newspaper has been placed therein, the hand of the user then being in a position so that the container can be thus manipulated handily. It accumulations of snow and ice should render this lastnamed mode of operation desirable, the movable parts will cooperate in a most positive manner.

This device is primarily intended to be used in the ways and for the purposes particularly descrihcd. but it is evident that it is adapted to receive deliveries of other suitable articles, and that its elements will also tuneliou as a mail box.

Changes in and modifications of the construction described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages, hence it is desired that I he not confined to the specific structure set forth, except as limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A newspaper receptacle. comprising a container closed at one end and open at the other end, a closure hingedly connected with the open end oi the container, a hraclzet er;- tcnding triian the container, a support adapted to *at the container normally in a horizontal and receiving position. a pivotal connection for the bracket with the support and whereby the container may he tilted to an approximately vertical position with its open end disposed downwardly to signal that a newspaper has been deposited in the container, and a link pivotally connected with the clo nre and the support adapted to shut the CluSiZIQ simultaneously witl the tilting of the container.

In a device oi the class described, a conta ner having and an open end, a elm-are S'Wllb with said open end, means tor maintain ng; the container in an approximately horizontal position, means wh l'c c :nt:,:i1ic1' oc tilted into an approximat vertical p. ition by the weight of an artlfie inserted within the container, and nu wherchv when the container is tilted v i I ll be auton1at- 2 1; incris disposed 1 l he aiitoniatiuse "1 liorowma ly rally opened.

' i o of the oi described, a coni a cimcd crid and an open cmh 1 dosurc h' cal -y connected with said open owl. means 'i seating the container horizontally to bring the C- lllitl lltfl into normal receiving; position, means "For tilting the cont ncr vcrt callv to qnal t at an article has al in thccon car. and autofor progrcssiv v hr ing; the

. z't-cd pr-s a as the container vertically and for progressive y p, the closure into a en position as the lh-z rizontally oapcr rccepta an elongated container having a (nosed end; and an open end. a closure in .ociated with said open end, a sup ort, a commotion to the conta t r with thesuppo1'toi':nch a charac er that when the container disposed in a lowered position and when a newspaper is deposited then? the we of the newspape will cause t to as a raised position. and annr-inatic means for progres ively bringing the closure into closed position as the container i raisa d and for progressively bringing the closure into open position as the container is lowered.

5. In a newspaper receptacle, an elongated c ntainer. a support. and a tiltable connection for the container with the support of such a character that when the container is tinp y it will be balancerl in a lowered position and uh n a newspaper depo tcd therein the weight ot the new per will cause it to be unbalanced and assume a raised position.

H Eil-RY STEEN. 

